Robert Louis Stevenson

      Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

      DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE

      Have you ever wished to be someone else? Have you ever looked at someone you know and thought, ‘He does what he wants. Why shouldn’t I do what I want?’ And have you then thought that if you looked like someone else, only for one day, you would be free to do anything you wanted? And nobody could blame you for it. Nobody would ever know that it was you, because it wasn’t you! How exciting to change into someone else! Just for a day, or perhaps from time to time, not too often. Because if you changed into that other person often, then you might become that other person – and you might find it difficult to be yourself again.

      These are dangerous thoughts for someone to have, especially for Doctor Jekyll. Because Doctor Jekyll is a very clever scientist, and he has found a way of turning this dream into reality …

      1

      The mysterious door

      Mr Utterson the lawyer was a quiet, serious man. He was shy with strangers and afraid of showing his feelings. Among friends, however, his eyes shone with kindness and goodness. And, although this goodness never found its way into his conversation, it showed itself in his way of life. He did not allow himself many enjoyable things in life. He ate and drank simply and, although he enjoyed the theatre, he had not been to a play for twenty years. However, he was gentler towards other men’s weaknesses, and was always ready to help rather than blame them. As a lawyer, he was often the last good person that evil-doers met on their way to prison, or worse. These people often carried with them memories of his politeness and fairness.

      Mr Utterson’s best friend was a distant cousin called Richard Enfield, who was well known as a fun-loving ‘man about town’. Nobody could understand why they were friends, as they were different from each other in every way. They often took long walks together, however, marching through the streets of London in companionable silence.

      One of these walks used to take them down a narrow side-street in a busy part of London. It was a clean, busy, friendly street with bright little shops and shiny doorknockers. Near the end of this street, however, stood a dark, mysterious, windowless building. The door had neither bell nor knocker and looked dusty and uncared for. Dirty children played fearlessly on the doorstep, and nobody ever opened the door to drive them away.